The army of

Raymond of Saint-Gilles Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse ( 1041 – 28 February 1105), sometimes called Raymond of Saint-Gilles or Raymond I of Tripoli, was a powerful noble in southern France and one of the leaders of the First Crusade (1096–1099). He was the Count of ...

was one of the first to be formed after

Pope Urban II Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...

called for the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

. Raymond formed a Provençal army and left his

County of Toulouse The County of Toulouse ( oc, Comtat de Tolosa) was a territory in southern France consisting of the city of Toulouse and its environs, ruled by the Count of Toulouse from the late 9th century until the late 13th century. The territory is the ...

in October 1096, traveling over the land route. He was the only leader of a major army that did not swear an oath of fealty to Byzantine emperor Alexius I Komnenos. The known members of the army, which numbered in the thousands, were almost all French and included the ones listed below, as reported in histories of the First Crusade. Unless otherwise noted, references are to the on-line database of Riley-Smith, et al., and the hyperlinks therein provide details including original sources. The names below are also referenced in the Riley-Smith tome, Appendix I: Preliminary List of Crusaders. Those references are not shown unless they appear elsewhere in the text of previously referenced book. Articles that are hyperlinked to a more detailed article in this encyclopædia rely on the latter for references.

The Commander’s Household

The known members of the Commanders’s household include the following: * The Commander’s wife Elvira of Castile, daughter of Alfonso VI the Brave, King of León, and their son born and died on the journey. (See also

Women in the Crusades The role of women in the Crusades is frequently viewed as being limited to domestic or illicit activities during the Crusades. While to some extent this is true, they nevertheless played a significant role, taking part in such activities including ...

.) * The

Standard-Bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...

of the Commander was Heraclius I, Viscount of Polignac, related to Peter of Fay and was brother to Pons of Fay. He died in the siege of Antioch on 9 July 1098 * Raymond of Vigeois, chamberlain to the Commander.

Clergy

The members of the church traveling with the Commander included: *

Adhemar of Le Puy Adhemar (also known as Adémar, Aimar, or Aelarz) de Monteil (died 1 August 1098) was one of the principal figures of the First Crusade and was bishop of Puy-en-Velay from before 1087. He was the chosen representative of Pope Urban II for th ...

Bishop of Puy-en-Velay The Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Puy-en-Velay (Latin: ''Dioecesis Aniciensis''; French language, French: ''Diocèse du Puy-en-Velay'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the whole Depart ...

, recognized as spiritual leader of the Crusade. He was brother of the knight William Hugh of Montei. *

Aicard Aicard of Marseilles ( 1040 – 1113), also known as Aicard of Arles or simply Aicard, was the Archbishop of Arles from 1070 to 1080 and again from 1107 to his death. Early life and family Aicard was born around 1040, the son of Jaufre I, Viscou ...

Archbishop of Arles The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal see in the city of Arles, in southern France.St. Victor of Marseilles *

Bernard of Valence Bernard of Valence (died 1135) was the Latin Patriarch of Antioch from 1100 to 1135. Originally from Valence, Bernard was part of the army of Raymond of Saint-Gilles and attended the Battle of Harran, and Battle of Sarmada with Roger of Salerno. H ...

, priest and chaplain of Adhemar of Le Puy, Bishop of Artah, patriarch of Antioch * Aufan,

Bishop of Apt The former French Catholic diocese of Apt, in southeast France, existed from the fourth century until the French Revolution. By the Concordat of 1801, it was suppressed, and its territory was divided between the diocese of Digne and the diocese of ...

* Bertrand of Bas, priest and canon of Le Puy * Bertrand (II) of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur and

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...

, lay

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...

of the church in Arles * Herbert, Chaplain of Chaise-Dieu and of the Commander,

Bishop of Tripoli The Latin Diocese of Tripoli was established in 1104 in the aftermath of the First Crusade. It remained a residential bishopric until 1289, after which it became a titular bishopric, which it remains today in the Catholic Church. Tripoli, Lebanon, ...

* Peter I, Bishop of Glandèves * Peter I of Narbone, promoted to Bishop of Albara during the Crusade. Peter’s position was the precursor to the office of the

Latin Patriarchate of Antioch The Latin patriarch of Antioch was a prelate of the Latin Church created in 1098 by Bohemond I of Taranto, founder of the Principality of Antioch, one of the crusader states. The jurisdiction of the Latin patriarchs in Antioch extended over the ...

. * Peter Desiderius, priest and chaplain of Isoard I of Die * Pons of Grillon, chaplain of Raymond Decan, Lord of Posquières * Raymond, Lord of Posquières, dean of the

Church of St. Trophime The Church of St. Trophime (french: Cathédrale Saint-Trophime d'Arles) (''Trophimus'') is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in the city of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department of southern France. It was built between the ...

in Arles and a follower of Pons of Griffon * Simon, chaplain to the Commander * Stephen of Valence, priest *

William, Bishop of Orange William, Bishop of Orange took part in the First Crusade. In 1096 Hugh of Châteauneuf, Bishop of Grenoble and William, Bishop of Orange, went to Genoa and preached in the church of San Siro, in order to gather troops for the First Crusade. After th ...

Historians

Two of the clergy recorded the activities of the army and included: *

Peter Tudebode Peter Tudebode ( la, Petrus Tudebodus) was a Poitevin priest who was part of the First Crusade as part of the army of Raymond of Saint-Gilles. He wrote an account of the crusade, ''Historia de Hierosolymitano itinere'', including an eye-witness acc ...

, a priest and author of ''Historia de Hierosolymitano itinere'', a chronicle of the Crusade *

Raymond of Aguilers Raymond of Aguilers was a participant in and chronicler of the First Crusade (1096–1099). During the campaign he became the chaplain of Count Raymond IV of Toulouse, the leader of the Provençal army of crusaders., vol. IV, p. 1009. His chronicl ...

, priest and chaplain to Raymond of Saint-Gilles. Chronicler of the Crusade in his '' Historia Francorum qui ceperunt Iherusalem''.

Nobles

The nobles and lords who fought with the Commander included: * Achard,

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of Montmerle. He was killed in an ambush during the siege of Jerusalem. * Arved Tudebode, a relative of Peter Tudebone, who was killed at the siege of Antioch *

Bernard Ato IV Bernard Ato IV (died 1129) was the Viscount of Nîmes of the Trencavel family from 1074 to his death. Bernard Ato was the son of Raymond Bernard of Nîmes (died 1074) and Ermengarde of Carcassonne. In 1096, Bernard joined the army of Raymond of Sa ...

, Viscount of Béziers and Carcassonne * Béranger,

Viscount of Narbonne The viscount of Narbonne was the secular ruler of Narbonne in the Middle Ages. Narbonne had been the capital of the Visigoth province of Septimania, until the 8th century, after which it became the Carolingian Viscounty of Narbonne. Narbonne was nom ...

Centule II, Count of Bigorre Centule II (also ''Centulle'') (died 1129) was the Count of Bigorre from 1114 to his death. He broke Bigorre's feudal connection with France and established bonds across the Pyrenees with Aragon. He was also a major participant in the Crusades, ...

, half-brother of Gaston IV of Béarn *

Gaston IV, Viscount of Béarn Gaston IV (died 1131) was viscount of Béarn from 1090 to 1131. He was called ''le Croisé––''the Crusader––because of his participation in the First Crusade as part of the army of Raymond of Saint-Gilles. (cf. also Spanish Wikipedia, Gas ...

* Geldemar Carpenel, Lord of Haifa * Girard I, Count of Roussillon (possible) * Gouffier I, Lord of Lastours, Hautefort and Tarrason, related to a number of later Crusaders, and apparently brought a tamed lion back from the East * Hugh, Lord of Salagnac * Peter, Viscount of Castillon, sent by the Commander to try and secure Antioch before the arrival of his army * Peter, Lord of Fay-Chapteuil, brother of Pons of Fay-Chapteuil and related to the Standard-Bearer Heraclius I, Viscount of Polignac. He was killed by imperial troops while crossing Byzantine territory. * Pons, Lord of Blazon * Pons II, Lord of Fay-le-Froid, brother of Peter of Fay-Chapteuil and a relative of Heraclius of Polignac. He, like his brother, was killed by imperial troops while crossing Byzantine territory. * Pons, Lord of Mezenc, brother or half-brother of Peter the Bastard * Raimbold II, Count of Orange * Raymond I, Viscount of Turenne, brother-in-law to

Rotrou III of Perche Rotrou III (bef. 1080 – 8 May 1144), called the Great (''le Grand''), was the Count of Perche and Mortagne from 1099. He was the son of Geoffrey II, Count of Perche, and Beatrix de Ramerupt, daughter of Hilduin IV, Count of Montdidier. He was ...

* Rigaud IV, Lord of Tournemire, accompanied by an

almoner An almoner (} ' (alms), via the popular Latin '. History Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned ...

* Roger, Lord of Mirepoix *

Roman of Le Puy Roman of Le Puy, also known as Romanus of Puy ( la, Romanus de Podio), was the first lord of Oultrejordain in the Kingdom of Jerusalem from around 1120 to around 1126. He was a nobleman from Auvergne who accompanied Adhemar de Monteil, Bishop of L ...

, later Lord of Transjordan * William Peyre, Lord of Cunhlat, master of Peter Bartholomew * William III, Count of

Forez Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire ''département'' and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme ''départements''. The final "z" in Forez () is not pronounced in the Loire ...

and

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

* William I, Lord of Sabran *

William II Jordan William II Jordan ( ca, Guillem Jordà; oc, Guilhèm Jordan) (died 1109) was the count of Berga beginning in 1094, the count of Cerdanya beginning in 1095, and regent of the County of Tripoli beginning in 1105. He was the son of Count William I ...

, Count of Berga and Cerdagne (Cendenya) * William V, Count of Montpellier.

Knights and other Soldiers

While many thousands of knights and other fighting men joined the army, the following were noted: * Arnold Tudebode and his brother Arvedus (Arfan) Tudebod, both killed at the siege of Antioch. They were brothers of Peter Tudebode the cleric and historian. * Bernard Raymond of Béziers, likely the son of Bertrand II of Provence, the father-in-law of Bernard Ato IV * Farald of Thouars * Brothers Gerald, Raymond and Pons. Little is known about the brothers except that they each donated their part of the tithes pertaining to the castle of Rocha Martina to the abbey of St. Victor of Marseilles. * Isoard of Ganges, who distinguished himself at the siege of Antioch * Isoard I, Count of Die, a comrade of Peter Desiderius and under the command of Raymond Pilet d’d’alas * Peter the Bastard, Lord of Mezenc, brother of First Crusaders Pons, Lord of Mezenc, and Guy and William (expedition unclear) * Peter of

Roaix Roaix (; oc, Roais) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in southeastern France. Alice Colonieu lived at Roaix. See also *Communes of the ...

Peter Bartholomew Peter Bartholomew (, died 20 April 1099) was a French soldier and mystic who was part of the First Crusade as part of the army of Raymond of Saint-Gilles. Peter was initially a servant to William, Lord of Cunhlat. Mysticism In December 1097 du ...

, was servant to William Peyre of Cunhla, and was sent as a messenger to the Turkish emir

Kerbogha Qiwam al-Dawla Kerbogha ( tr, Kürboğa), known as Kerbogha or Karbughā, was atabeg of Mosul during the First Crusade and was renowned as a soldier. Early life Kerbogha was a Seljuk Turk who owed his success to his military talent. He suppo ...

. His vision of the

Holy Lance The Holy Lance, also known as the Lance of Longinus (named after Saint Longinus), the Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Spear, is the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross during his crucifixion. Biblical references The l ...

led to his trial by fire. He was pulled from the fire by Raymond Pilet d’Alès, but subsequently died. * Pons the Red, died shortly after returning from the Crusade * Pons Rainard (Raynouard), died during the Crusade * Raymond of Curemonte *

Raymond Pilet d’Alès Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund (disambiguation), Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic langu ...

, a well known knight * Raymond Bertrand of l’Isle-Jourdan * William Hugh of Monteil I, occupier of the Crusader castle Krak des Chavaliers, brother of Adhemar of Le Puy.

Major Battles

The army of Raymond took part in most of the major battles in the First Crusade, including: *

Siege of Nicaea The siege of Nicaea was the first major battle of the First Crusade, taking place from 14 May to 19 June 1097. The city was under the control the Seljuk Turks who opted to surrender to the Byzantines in fear of the crusaders breaking into the ci ...

, 1097 * Battle of Dorylaeum, 1097 *

Siege of Antioch The siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098, on the crusaders' way to Jerusalem through Syria. Two sieges took place in succession. The first siege, by the crusaders against the city held by the Seljuk Empire, last ...

, 1097–1098 * Capture of Krak des Chavaliers, 1099 *

Battle of Ascalon The Battle of Ascalon took place on 12 August 1099 shortly after the capture of Jerusalem, and is often considered the last action of the First Crusade. The crusader army led by Godfrey of Bouillon defeated and drove off a Fatimid army, secur ...

, 1099. He and his army also participated in the doomed

Crusade of 1101 The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade of three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade. It is also called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted due to the number of participants who joined this ...

Sources

* Riley-Smith, Jonathan, ''The First Crusaders, 1095-1131'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1997 * Runciman, Steven, ''A History of the Crusades, Volume One: The First Crusade and the Foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1951 * Bury, J. B., Editor, ''The Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III: Germany and the Western Empire'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1922 * Prof. J. S. C. Riley-Smith, Prof, Jonathan Phillips, Dr. Alan V. Murray, Dr. Guy Perry, Dr. Nicholas Morton, ''A Database of Crusaders to the Holy Land, 1095-1149''
available on-line
* Tudebode, Peter, ''Historia de Hierosolymitano itinere'', John and Laurita Hill, Editors, Paris, 1977 * Raymond d'Aguilers, ''Historia Francorum qui ceperunt Iherusalem'', John and Laurita Hill, Editors, Paris, 1969 * France, John, ''Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade'', Cambridge University Press, 1996 ( available on Internet Archive)

References

{{Reflist Armies of the First Crusade Christians of the First Crusade